You can learn so much from the extra stuff #RPG #Pathfinder

I love my fantasy role playing. I love how there are so many different directions you can take it. And a good system lets you do that. It allows you to play a down and dirty gritty game setting. Or play a Super High Fantasy where you can walk into a Magic Weapon Shop and order a +5 Hackmaster sword off the rack (along with a phase blaster in the 40-watt range.) Lately, I have been singing the praises of 5E, and I stand by everything I wrote.

But there is something to be said for Pathfinder as well. It is an equally versatile system. And a lot of fun. So yesterday when I saw a link to a Humble Bundle for Pathfinder I thought I would check it out.

This an astounding deal. I immediately jumped at it. And made sure to share it with a work colleague who runs her own Pathfinder game. And best of all you can actually designate a portion of what you are willing to spend to go to a worthwhile charity.

Why would I buy all of those? Aren’t I the same guy who was gushing about the Open Gaming License, the ability to read all of the rules on the website, and an iOS App that contains all of those rule books? Why would I want to own copies of all of those books?

And you are correct, I can and do have free access to the rules already. So I don’t need a PDF file of all the rule books. But with this, I could share the PDF file with other folks if I wanted to. And I could even print some of them (although that is unlikely.) But the real reason to buy this is all the extra material, the adventure’s and world settings.

Because you can learn a lot about a game by reading the fluff. And the adventures tell even more of the story. That is why I have been reading some 5E published adventures as well. Because seeing how these official publications apply the rules can give you a lot of context for what the real intentions are behind the game design. And intentions can also guide you as the player and also provide the GM some clarity on rules questions. Reading an adventure can help you see what the real design intention is behind the application of certain skills and Feats.

Not to mention that I now have nearly 30 pre-made adventures on hand in case I find myself in a situation where I get a request to run a one-shot game, with no time for preparation. Or when Jimmy decides he has a group that he wants to run a game for. I cannot complain anymore about not having adventure ideas.

Now if only the website traffic would just calm down enough for me to actually download the files!